Stay small to adventure BIG!

Wood Stove Install

Every inch of space in a tiny matters, so I decided to set my wood stove on a platform in order to at least utilize the space under it. There is a section for shoes and a drawer where I keep a stash of wood so I don’t have to go outside at night.

Step 2: Cover the walls

To safely have the wood stove in such a small space, I had to cover the walls with non-combustible material. I chose to use steel, but didn’t love the idea of shiny silver lining my walls.

Instead, I got steel and Sof (my super-awesome-project-side-kick) helped me patina it so that it looks artsy and rustic! It turned out great!

Then it was just a matter of screwing it into the wall with spacers so there is air flow behind it to protect the wall from the heat.

1-inch copper pipe couplings make perfect spacers

The screws just go through the copper pipe couplings attaching the sheet metal to the wall behind it, with a uniform 1-inch space between the metal and the wall.

Step 3: Plan the chimney path and buy the things.

This one really held me up, for some reason I just couldn’t figure out where to start. With Sof’s help, I finally sketched my idea, took some measurements, and headed to a very specific Ace Hardware store that specializes in wood stoves. Charlie, at Poulsen Ace, really knew his stuff and was extremely helpful.

Full disclosure: If you’re planning to install a wood stove, prepare to spend just as much (or more) on the stove pipes and chimney pipes as you do on the stove itself.

Step 4: Round up a friend or two and cut a hole in your house.

This is once the wall thimble is in place, but you’re looking at my front yard through the inside of my house right here!

* If you’re lucky like me, your friends will be there for moral support…but still make you cut the hole yourself.

Step 5: Install the stove pipe.

Stove pipe is single-wall steel pipe, painted black for aesthetics (it comes this way, don’t paint it yourself without heat-safe paint!). My stove requires 6″ diameter pipe, so that’s what I used. It meets a 12″ long piece of triple-wall chimney pipe (aka class A pipe) just before it goes through the wall thimble. The wall thimble seals up the hole you just cut in your wall and allows the chimney to pass through safely.

Triple-wall pipe is insulated, just like it sounds, with three walls so the outside of it isn’t hot to the touch.

The class A section that goes through the wall meets a T pipe on the outside (which allows for chimney cleaning) and then goes up above the roof where it’s capped off so nothing gets into the chimney (rain, rodents, etc).

Step 6: Enjoy your cozy new addition!

I decided to have the chimney on the inside of my house for as long as possible because the single-wall allows heat to escape. Essentially, the more stove pipe you have inside, the more heat your wood stove provides. Also, I had to go through the wall rather than the roof because the roof is lined with solar panels.